Not since the fight over the late John Tower has a candidate for defense secretary elicited as much sound and fury as Chuck Hagel.

Mr. Tower, a retired Republican senator from Texas, had the depth of military knowledge to run the Pentagon but was undone by questions about his deportment. Mr. Hagel, a retired Republican senator from Nebraska, led an untainted personal life during his time on Capital Hill, but his views on defense and foreign policy are problematic.

The Senate must decide this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday, whether the standard that applied to Mr. Tower, nominated by President H. W. Bush in 1989, should also apply to Mr. Hagel, President Obama's nominee.

A quarter-century later, Senate Republicans are calling Democrats on the Tower Standard. While Mr. Hagel has the near-unanimous support of the Democratic majority, he also faces near-unanimous opposition from Republican lawmakers.

Fifteen Republicans sent a letter last week to President Obama, urging that he withdraw Mr. Hagel's nomination.

"Over the last half-century," they wrote, "no secretary of defense has been confirmed and taken office with more three senators voting against him. The occupant of this critical office should be someone whose candidacy is neither controversial or divisive."

Mr. Hagel falls short by that political yardstick. Leading up to his Senate confirmation hearings last month, there already were misgivings about the former senator's fitness because of the views he espoused on a host of issues.

In 2010, Mr. Hagel reportedly told an audience at Rutgers University that Israel was on the verge of becoming an "apartheid" state, in its treatment of Israel's Palestinian minority.

In a 2009 appearance on Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera, Mr. Hagel explained his advocacy of unilateral nuclear disarmament by the United States. "How can we preach to other countries," he said, "that you can't have nuclear weapons but we can and our allies can?"

In March 2007, Hagel delivered a speech in which he said the United States shared "common interests" with the ayatollahs who run Iran.

Mr. Hagel's decidedly underwhelming performance at his confirmation hearing did little to allay the concerns of those who wondered aloud whether the former senator was equal to the task of overseeing the nation's military. If anything, it fomented even more concern.

There are better candidates for defense secretary than Chuck Hagel. President Obama should withdraw his nomination.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Letters to the Editor: E-mail to letters@ocregister.com.
Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published).
Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds
each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.